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Donald P. Bellisario
|birth_place = Cokeburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |occupation = TV series/film producer, director and screenwriter |yearsactive = 1977-present |spouse = Deborah Pratt, 1984-1991 (divorced) Vivienne Bellisario, 1998-present |series = Quantum Leap |known_for = Producing the TV shows Magnum P.I., Airwolf, JAG, First Monday, & NCIS |job = Series executive producer/creator; also made cameo appearance as Dr. Timothy Mintz in "A Portrait For Troian" }}Donald P. Bellisario (born August 8, 1935) is an American television producer and screenwriter who created and oftentimes, also wrote episodes for Quantum Leap as well as the TV series Magnum, P.I., Airwolf, JAG, and NCIS. He has often included military veterans as characters. Early life Bellisario was born in Charleroi or Cokeburg, Pennsylvania to an Italian father Albert and a Serbian mother Dana (née Lapčević) BellisarioDonald P. Bellisario Biography (1935–), Filmreference.com, accessed May 5, 2011. who was born in Gamberale, Abruzzo, Italy. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1955 to 1959, attaining the rank of Sergeant. Bellisario earned a bachelor's degree in journalism at Pennsylvania State University in 1961. In 2001 he was named a Distinguished Alumnus—the highest honor bestowed on a graduate of Penn State. In 2006, Bellisario endowed a $1 million Trustee Matching Scholarship in the Penn State College of Communications. He recalled: Growing up in a hardscrabble western Pennsylvania coal mining town, I know first hand the sacrifices that are made to give a son or daughter a university education…and as a Marine veteran who returned to Penn State with two small children and little money, I remember all too well that struggle. It's my hope that this scholarship will also ease the financial burden of other young men and women who have defended our country to attain their academic goals.Bellisario's $1 million gift endows scholarships in College of Communications, Penn State University,October 2, 2006, accessed 5 May 2011. Bellisario became an advertising copywriter in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1965, and three years later became creative director of the Bloom Agency in Dallas, Texas. After rising to senior vice president after eight years, he then moved to Hollywood to pursue screenwriting and production. Television career After working under such television producers as Glen A. Larson, Bellisario adopted some of their production techniques, most notably utilizing a small pool of actors which he uses for his many productions. Episodes written by Donald ;Writer of episodes: #Genesis: Part I (episode) #Genesis: Part II (episode) #How The Tess Was Won (episode) #Double Identity (episode) #Camikazi Kid (episode) (Story/Teleplay) #Honeymoon Express (episode) #A Portrait For Troian (episode) (Teleplay) #All Americans (episode) #Her Charm (episode) (Teleplay) #M.I.A. (episode) #The Leap Home, Part I (episode) #The Leap Home, Part II (episode) # Last Dance Before An Execution (episode) (Story) #The Leap Back (episode) #A Single Drop of Rain (episode) #Ghost Ship (episode) #Lee Harvey Oswald, Part I (episode) #Lee Harvey Oswald, Part II (episode) #Mirror Image (episode) Directed episode: # Catch A Falling Star (episode) (Director) Appearances Portrayed leapee Dr. Timothy Mintz in A Portrait For Troian (episode). References External links * Category:Writers Category:Directors Category:Actors Category:Producers Category:Cast & Crew Category:1935 birthsCategory:Living people